Electric heaters provide supplemental heat during cold winter months. However, like any appliance, they can develop issues over time. This article explores the most common electric heater problems and provides troubleshooting tips to get your heater working properly again.
Why Do Electric Heater Issues Occur?
Electric heaters have several components that allow them to draw power and convert it into heat. The thermostat, heating elements, blower fan, interior sensors, and external housing can all degrade over time and cause operation failures. Additionally, dirty filters, improper sizing, and electrical problems can prevent your heater from working at peak efficiency.
Understanding the most common issues will help you diagnose problems faster and determine whether you can fix it yourself or need professional assistance.
Tripped Circuit Issues
If your electric heater repeatedly shuts off on its own, it likely keeps tripping your home’s circuit breaker or blowing a fuse. Several faults can trigger this issue:
Faulty Thermostat
Thermostats control the power cycling on and off to regulate interior temperatures. A stuck thermostat that doesn’t shut off can lead to electrical overloads. The heating elements draw too much continuous current, which trips the breaker.
Fix: Replace the faulty thermostat. Choose a model with automatic shut-off that activates if readings detect overheating.
Overloaded Circuits
Too many devices pulling power on one circuit can overload and trip it. The startup current draw for an electric heater is high. If other appliances share the same wiring, the total current may exceed the circuit’s limit when the heater activates. This trips the breaker immediately.
Fix: Plug your heater into an outlet on a dedicated circuit without other appliances. Check your breaker box to determine if any circuits have open slots to power your heater solo. Consider hiring an electrician to install new wiring if no dedicated circuits exist.
Wrong Voltage or Wattage
Electric heaters clearly state voltage and wattage capacities printed on their rating plates. Attempting to pull too much wattage through an outlet can overload the circuit. Using a 240-volt heater in a 120-volt outlet causes the same issue. The mismatch draws excess current, tripping the breaker.
Fix: Check your breaker box for voltage and wattage handling capabilities per circuit. Purchase a heater that aligns with those ratings for proper operation. Using the wrong heater can lead to electrical fires and destroys the appliance over time.
Loose Wiring and Bad Connections
Faulty wiring resulting from loose, corroded, or improperly connected wires causes excess heat production. This can damage the circuit and trip your breaker. If connections degrade inside the heater appliance itself, this also leads to tripped circuits.
Fix: Replace old wiring in your home if corroded and degraded over decades of use. For the heater itself, open the housing to check for loose internal connections or scorched wires. If damage exists internally, you likely need a new heating unit.
Improper Heater Sizing Issues
Electric heaters rely on properly sized heating elements to warm rooms efficiently. Mismatch problems can make your unit underperform or overheat.
Undersized Electric Heaters
An undersized electric heater lacks the power density within its heating coils to raise ambient temperatures. It will run continuously without ever satisfying the interior thermostat, fail to reach desired warmth, and trip from overloads trying to compensate. Warning signs include frequently cold rooms and tripped breakers.
Fix: Size your replacement heater using a minimum of 10 watts per square foot of space. A 220-square foot room needs at least a 2200-watt heater. Size up by 25% in extremely cold climates needing extra power.
Oversized Electric Heaters
An overpowered electric heater heats rooms too quickly before the thermostat shuts it off. Spikes in temperature gradients stress appliance components leading to faster wear and tear over time. The abrupt on-and-off cycle also draws excess current that can overload circuits.
Fix: Right size using the 10-watts per square foot rule as a maximum threshold. Oversized heaters still work but degrade faster and disrupt temperature regulation. Replace with a correctly sized unit for maximum efficiency and lifespan.
Dirty or Clogged Air Filters
Indoor heaters draw in air across internal filters to circulate warm air back into the room. Over months and years of use, dust, dander, and debris accumulate to clog these filters. The reduced air circulation causes several operational issues:
Heater Overheating
Without sufficient airflow, electric heating elements reach dangerously high temperatures from heat buildup internally. Clogged filters essentially suffocate the appliance by restricting dissipation into room spaces.
Fix: Clean or replace filters routinely per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Most filters need cleaning every 1-3 months depending on use. Neglect risks fire hazards, destruction of heating elements from sustained extreme temps, and melted plastic components.
Tripped Breakers
As heating elements skyrocket well past safe operation ranges internally, the current draw also spikes drastically to try and match energy demands. Unchecked, this extreme current overloads circuits that shut down to protect wiring from catching fire.
Fix: Again, clearing debris from air intake filters lets the appliance breathe correctly. Appropriate airflow lowers temperatures and current draw for safe operation.
Thermostat Sensor Disruption
Internal thermostats rely on temperature readings from sensors touching airflow streams. Without circulation across these sensors from blocked ducts, the operation becomes erratic. Units may over or underheat dramatically vary from actual room temps.
Fix: Replace clogged filters so airflow correctly cycles across onboard sensors behind the grate. Be sure the sensor bulb makes tight contact with the main duct when replacing filters for precise readings.
Faulty Thermostat Issues
The interior thermostat controls electric heater operation based on desired room temperatures. Malfunctions cause inconsistent heating:
Failure to Turn On
If your heater fails to start when temperatures drop despite having power, the thermostat likely failed. No signal activates the internal heating elements if the thermostat malfunctions.
Fix: Replace the faulty thermostat. Low-voltage types use less power and integrate automation using programmable schedules and adaptive temperature staging.
No Shut Off
A stuck thermostat fractures internally or loses sensitivity calibration. The heating elements never receive the signal to power down even after reaching the desired room temps. Units run indefinitely, overheating rooms well past set temperatures and presenting fire risks.
Fix: As mentioned for tripped breakers, replace the faulty thermostat immediately in these scenarios. Choose a model that shuts down heating automatically if it senses internal overheating as a secondary safety precaution.
Inaccurate Temperature Readings
Degraded sensitivity in aging thermostats reduces accuracy. Actual room and set temperatures can diverge by several degrees or more as the sensor fails. Heaters under or overheat unexpectedly in response.
Fix: Swap out old thermostats for digitally programmable alternatives with smart sensor arrays to prevent calibration failures over time. They outperform analog dial types and provide usage analytics.
Blower Fan Dysfunctions
Electric heaters use an internal blower fan to circulate warm air into rooms via ducting grates. Breakdowns cause uneven heat distribution:
No Air Movement
If no air emerges from your electric heater with full power applied, the blower fan likely failed mechanically. Burned out motors, stuck bearings, broken fan blades or accumulated debris stalling movement prevent functionality.
Fix: Remove blockages inhibiting blade rotation immediately to avoid overheating. Replace defective fan motors or damaged components if repairs won’t restore operation.
Uneven Heat Distribution
Some electric heaters use multi-speed blowers to direct airflow based on staging by the thermostat. Issues with fan speed controls or wiring connecting back to the thermostat affects performance. You experience very hot stagnant air directly at vents but cool temps farther away.
Fix: Replace wiring with faults disrupting voltage signals that dictate fan speeds. For damaged speed controls, replace the blower motor outright to resolve uneven heat distribution issues.
Excessive Noise
Screeching, squealing or loud grinding noises point to blower dysfunction from debris accumulation, imbalances, and mechanical wear over time. Defective bearings contribute significantly to noise if failing.
Fix: Clean filters and duct pathways fully to remove stuck debris causing obstructions. Replace worn bearings and fan motors making excess noise and showing physical defects like cracked housings upon inspection.
Preventing Electric Heater Problems
While even properly maintained heaters eventually fail from years of use, you can maximize operational lifespans through proper care:
- Clean or replace filters 2-3 times per year to maintain airflow
- Use surge protectors to prevent electrical spikes from storms damaging circuits
- Install heating units properly by trained technicians to prevent household wiring issues
- Give each heater plenty of clearance so airflow moves easily through vents
- Replace thermostats that become erratic or inaccurate
- Choose units with automatic fail safes that prevent overheating accidents
- Consider wi-fi enabled heat pumps allowing tighter temperature control
Follow manufacturer cleaning guidelines to keep your heater debris-free. Let units fully cool before wiping down exterior surfaces or vacuuming intake vents if needed. Storage over summer provides opportunities for thorough cleanings reducing strain when restarting next winter.
When to Call HVAC Professionals
While minor maintenance fixes extend a heater’s lifespan, more serious recurring issues likely require professional service:
Call for assistance if:
- Circuits trip repeatedly after troubleshooting wiring, amp loads, and filters
- Burning smells or visible smoke come from your unit at any time
- Blower issues involve grinding noises or failing bearings
- You lack experience diagnosing electrical problems safely
- Interior sensors, thermostats, heating elements suffer visible physical damage
Neglecting persistent problems accelerates deterioration and creates safety issues over time. The cost of a technician service call pales compared to replacing entire damaged heaters or electrical repairs from fires due to negligence.
Technicians bring expertise assessing issues correctly to resolve operation quickly. They also access replacement parts difficult to source yourself. If unit damage proves too extensive, professionals assist proper whole unit replacements for your specific space.
Also Read: A Step-by-Step Guide to Portable Heater Maintenance and Care
Conclusion
Learning to identify common electric heater malfunctions helps determine whether DIY troubleshooting repairs issues or if you need professional service calls. By following usage guidelines and maintenance tips, you minimize risks of premature unit failures.
Catching heating problems early vastly simplifies repairs compared to letting small issues snowball over time into catastrophic unit breakdowns. Set seasonal reminders to thoroughly inspect units before kicking on each winter. Filter cleaning and testing heating elements only takes a few minutes. This small time investment provides reliable warmth exactly when needed while adding years to a heater’s operational lifetime through preventative care.